A Mission that Matters

It was nearing lunch at the conclusion of our meeting with some UPI executive directors and Gibozi Mphanzi looked at the two of us with a flash of insight, "So, this is why you came!" It was obvious we had hit on something important. We thought we had come for two reasons: (1) for Nancy to experience the wonder of this place and the presence of God in these people and their work, and (2) to perhaps help in the dedication of the new YouthCare high school, that the NHUMC Christmas offering had made possible. But before we left the U.S., Dr. Bruce Main, the founder and president of UPI, had asked Dave if he would speak to some of the executive directors about leadership and to thank and encourage them in their good work. Dave suggested to Bruce that since Nancy had significant experience in marketing and communications, including in the non-profit world, that she might have some valuable insights for the team. So this morning, Dave and Nancy met with Gibozi (YouthCare Min...

Today we visited Cornerstone Ministries about an hour and a half east of Lilongwe near Lake Malawi. When Dave was here in 2014, Cornerstone held their ministries for children in a rented home and in public school buildings. But Cornerstone was one of the ministries that had not yet built nor begun building facilities to house the ministries on their own land.   As we began the day sitting in that same rented house with the Cornerstone team — Danneck Falinya, his co-leader Leo Chanza, Tionge Matangula and Chikonti Chirwa, who all spent two years as a fellow in the U.S., and two younger leaders, Glory Munthali and Chikondi Khabaka, who may be fellows in the program next year — we talked about how they are doing so much with so little. Cornerstone faces the ongoing challenge of providing the resources needed in a fast growing ministry.   This year they had to make the choice between buying books or taking the summer camp children on a trip to Lilongwe, which had been ...

We wish the people from NHUMC could have been with us this morning, as YouthCare executive director Gibozi Mphanzi and principal Gomez Chirwa and other invited guests and leaders emphasized how grateful they were to God and NHUMC. They asked us to bring back the bow from the ribbon cutting and express their gratitude to the church.   Not many years ago, there were a dozen orphan boys in a rented house in Lilongwe, and today there is a boys' orphanage, a girls' orphanage, two classrooms, a library and  administrative office -- not to mention a staff of a principal and four teachers; a facility for animals (two cows, a steer and numerous pigs); a well; and a garden -- in large part due to the generosity of the people at NHUMC. We will be honored to pass along the thanks, but we wish that you all could have been here today to share in the celebration at the dedication of the high school.  The board and leaders at YouthCare clearly believe everything that has...

At dinner tonight with Gibozi Mphanzi, I asked Nancy, “So what touched your heart today? She replied, “The graciousness of Gomezgani, Kondwani and Providence, who greeted us and showed us around the MercyCare school.” Sadly, Peter Gamula, Executive Director of MercyCare, Gibozi and many other UPI leaders, were at the funeral today for his 30-year-old sister Ruth.  Missing today from MercyCare were the students, as school starts next Monday. But what I saw today were the dramatic changes compared to my visit in 2014. Since then a new science building, computer lab, library, solar panels and additional classrooms have been added.     Gibozi and his wife Esther met us at the Baptist Mission House where we are staying.  What touched both our hearts was a comment that Providence made about attendance at school. She shared that for the first term, parents usually had saved enough over the summer to send their children to school. However, after Christm...

You may not know this, but we're visiting five countries in Africa during September. We're inspired by what's already been accomplished for the Kingdom and the potential for more. Here's some background ...      Urban Promise was too good an idea for bringing Christ and ministry to urban youth to be limited to the U.S. Lindsey (Lewis) Markelz, whose heart for mission was developed at New Hanover United Methodist Church and in the U.S. Peace Corps, was hired by Dr. Bruce Main, the Founder of Urban Promise, to coordinate Urban Promise International  in it's formative years. UPI brings some of the best and brightest Christian college graduates from other countries to study and serve at UP ministries. These "fellows" then return to their home countries to lead and serve in ministries there.    At NHUMC, a connection developed between the church and UPI that followed a pattern. One weekend each fall, the UPI fellows stayed with members of the church...